Network centric power flow control

• US 8,315,743 B2
• Filed: 02/19/2010
• Issued: 11/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Sackman, Ronald Ward, Meier, John Leo, Overman, Thomas Francis, Moody, Scott Arthur
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, RAMESH B
• Application Number:
  US12/709,400
• Publication Number:
  US 20110204719A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,005 Days
• Field of Search: 700/22, 700/286, 700/291, 700/295, 700/297, 709/201, 709/202, 709/234
• US Class Current: 700/286
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00004 characterised by the power network being locally controlled
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00007 using the power network as support for the transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00017 using optical fiber
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00034 the elements or equipment being or involving an electric power substation
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/12 The local stationary network supplying a household or a building
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/14 by switching loads on to, or off from, network, e.g. progressively balanced loading
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving

Abstract

A method and apparatus are present for sending power to a number of loads. A plurality of nodes and a number of lines connected to the plurality of nodes are selected to send electrical power from a number of sources to a number of loads based on a capacity to send the electrical power through the plurality of nodes and the number of lines. The plurality of nodes is configured into a circuit to carry the electrical power from the number of sources to the number of loads using the plurality nodes. The plurality of nodes are controlled to send the electrical power through the circuit to the number of loads using a number of agent processes associated with the plurality of nodes.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a number of lines in an electrical power grid, wherein the number of lines is configured to carry electrical power;

a plurality of nodes in the electrical power grid, wherein the plurality of nodes is configured to control the electrical power carried on the number of lines;

a communications network configured to carry information;

a number of agent processes associated with the plurality of nodes, wherein the number of agent processes is configured to communicate with each other using the communications network, configure the plurality of nodes in the electrical power grid into a circuit, and control a delivery of the electrical power through the circuit to a number of loads associated with the circuit; and

a number of sensors associated with the electrical power grid configured to sense information related to power flow, the number of agent processes being configured to monitor a number of parameters in the plurality of nodes by receiving the information from the number of sensors.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the circuit is a first circuit and wherein the first circuit shares a line within the number of lines with a second circuit such that a first portion of electrical power in the line is for the first circuit and a second portion of electrical power in the line is for the second circuit.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein agent processes associated with nodes in the electrical power grid are configured to select the plurality of nodes from the nodes in the electrical power grid to deliver the electrical power to the number of loads in response to a request for the electrical power from the number of loads.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein an agent process in the agent processes is configured to send a request for capacity to deliver the electrical power through the nodes in the electrical power grid, receive a number of responses to the request for capacity, and select the plurality of nodes from the nodes in the electrical power grid based on the number of responses.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the agent process is a first agent process, and wherein a second agent process associated with a node in the nodes in the electrical power grid receives the request for capacity sent by the first agent process, identifies a capacity of the node associated with the second agent process, and returns the number of responses to the first agent process.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the second agent process in the agent processes associated with the node in the nodes in the electrical power grid sends the request for capacity to a third agent process in the agent processes in response to receiving the request for capacity.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the number of agent processes is configured to change a flow of the electrical power in the plurality of nodes in the electrical power grid in response to changes in capacity while delivering the electrical power to the number of loads.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communications network comprises communications links selected from at least one of lines in the electrical power grid, wireless communications links, wired communications links, and fiber optic cables.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the number of lines and the plurality of nodes form a power flow circuit in the circuit, and wherein the number of agent processes form a power control circuit in the circuit.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a first end point for the circuit; and

a second end point for the circuit.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the first end point is selected from one of a source in a number of sources and a node in the plurality of nodes, and the second end point is selected from one of a load in the number of loads and a node in the plurality of nodes.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the circuit is a virtual power circuit.

13. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein a control process communicates with the number of agent processes using the communications network to cause the number of agent processes to configure the plurality of nodes in the electrical power grid into the circuit.

14. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein an agent process in the agent processes includes at least one of a control device interface process, a demand and response system interface process, an optimization process, a stabilization process, a power flow signaling process, an advertisement process, and a cyber security process.

15. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein at least one of the number of agent processes is an intelligent power gateway agent process.

16. A method for sending power to a number of loads, the method comprising:

selecting a plurality of nodes and a number of lines connected to the plurality of nodes to send electrical power from a number of sources to the number of loads based on a capacity to send the electrical power through the plurality of nodes and the number of lines;

configuring the plurality of nodes into a circuit to carry the electrical power from the number of sources to the number of loads using the plurality of nodes; and

controlling the plurality of nodes to send the electrical power through the circuit to the number of loads using a number of agent processes associated with the plurality of nodes and a number of sensors associated with the number of lines configured to sense information related to power flow, the number of agent processes being configured to monitor a number of parameters in the number of nodes by receiving the information from the number of sensors.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of selecting a plurality of nodes and the number of lines connected to the plurality of nodes to send the electrical power from the number of sources to the number of loads based on the capacity to send the electrical power through the plurality of nodes and the number of lines further comprises:

responsive to receiving a request for electrical power, identifying the plurality of nodes from nodes in an electrical power grid.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of selecting a plurality of nodes and the number of lines connected to the plurality of nodes to send the electrical power from the number of sources to the number of loads based on the capacity to send the electrical power through the plurality of nodes and the number of lines further comprises:

sending, by a first agent process in the number of agent processes, a request for capacity to deliver the electrical power through the plurality of nodes;

receiving a number of responses to the request for capacity; and

selecting the plurality of nodes from nodes in an electrical power grid based on the number of responses.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving, by a second agent process in the number of agent processes, the request for capacity;

identifying a capacity of a node in the plurality of nodes associated with the second agent process; and

returning the number of responses to the first agent process.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

responsive to receiving the request for capacity, sending, by the second agent process, the request for capacity to a third agent process in the number of agent processes.

21. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

responsive to detecting changes in the capacity while delivering the electrical power to the number of loads, changing nodes in the plurality of nodes with other nodes in an electrical power grid.

22. An apparatus comprising:

a number of lines in an electrical power grid, wherein the number of lines is configured to carry electrical power;

a plurality of nodes in the electrical power grid, wherein the plurality of nodes is configured to control the electrical power carried in the number of lines;

a communications network configured to carry information;

a number of agent processes associated with the plurality of nodes, wherein the number of agent processes is configured to communicate with each other using the communications network, configure the plurality of nodes in the electrical power grid into a circuit, and control a delivery of the electrical power through the circuit to a number of loads associated with the circuit;

a control system configured to monitor a number of parameters in a number of circuits in the electrical power grid, determine whether to make a change to the number of circuits based on the number of parameters and a policy, and change the number of circuits using the policy in response to a determination to make the change to the number of circuits; and

a number of sensors associated with the number of circuits in the electrical power grid configured to sense information related to power flow, the control system being configured to monitor the number of parameters in the number of circuits in the electrical power grid by receiving the information from the number of sensors.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the number of agent processes is within a plurality of agent processes, and wherein the control system comprises at least a portion of the plurality of agent processes.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein in changing the number of circuits using the policy, the control system is configured to change a configuration of at least a portion of the plurality of nodes.

25. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein in changing the number of circuits using the policy, the control system is configured to change a composition of the plurality of nodes in at least one of the number of circuits.

26. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein in changing the number of circuits using the policy, the control system is configured to add a new circuit to the number of circuits.

27. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the control system is configured to determine whether to make the change to the number of circuits based on the information received from the number of sensors associated with the number of circuits in the electrical power grid.

28. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the number of parameters comprises at least one of a capacity in a line, a temperature in the line, a presence of a voltage having a value greater than a desired level, and a reduction in capacity in the line.

29. A method for identifying capacity for power flow in an electrical power grid, the method comprising:

receiving information about the capacity for power flow from a number of sensors in the electrical power grid;

storing the information in a database associated with an agent process in a plurality of agent processes for the electrical power grid;

sending the information to a number of other agent processes within the plurality of agent process; and

storing the information in a number of databases associated with the number of other agent processes.

30. The method of claim 29 further comprising:

selecting a plurality of nodes within nodes in the electrical power grid for delivering the electrical power to a number of loads in the electrical power grid based on the information about the capacity for power flow.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the information includes at least one of a capacity, a bus voltage, volts amps reactive, a power flow, a phase of power, and an amount of power consumed.

32. The method of claim 29, wherein the database and the number of databases are distributed databases located on data processing systems associated with nodes in the electrical power grid.

33. An apparatus comprising:

a number of sensors in an electrical power grid configured to generate information about a capacity for power flow in the electrical power grid;

an agent process configured to receive the information about the capacity for power flow in the electrical power grid from the number of sensors; and

store the information about the capacity for power flow in a database associated with the agent process; and

a plurality of agent processes configured to receive the information from the agent process and store the information about the capacity for power flow in the electrical power grid in a plurality of databases associated with the plurality of agent processes, wherein each agent process within the plurality of agent processes is associated with a database within the plurality of databases.

34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the information for the capacity for power flow is stored in the database and the plurality of databases.

35. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of agent processes select a plurality of nodes within nodes in the electrical power grid for delivering electrical power to a number of loads in the electrical power grid based on the information about the capacity for power flow.

36. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the information includes at least one of a capacity, a bus voltage, volts amps reactive, a power flow, a phase of power, and an amount of power consumed.

37. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the plurality of databases are distributed databases located on data processing systems associated with nodes in the electrical power grid.